The Ulster Unionist party is in talks with the British Conservative Party about joining forces to create a new political movement in Northern Ireland.
Tory leader David Cameron revealed that talks have been under way for the last few months, leading to a decision last week to set up a formal working group.
The group will discuss greater co-operation and the possibility of a merger.
In a joint article in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Cameron and UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said they want to create conditions to shift the focus of politics in the North away from constitutional and sectarian issues and onto the bread-and-butter concerns, like tax, health and education.
Mr Cameron said the aim of the talks was to create a political force that was both conservative and unionist, and one that could get beyond the old politics of orange and green.
There are historic ties between the Tories and the Ulster Unionists but formal links ended in the 1970s.
This development comes as Fianna Fáil are debating a similar political expansion in the North. A committee under Justice Minister Dermot Ahern is considering whether the party should organise in NI on a formal basis or merge with the SDLP.
